Jo Evans
Jo was part of the Evangelical Alliance advocacy team from 2020-2023 and did project management, writing and resource creation for the UK church. Having grown up in Dubai, Jo moved to the UK to study English and Film in Exeter, before being an assistant youth worker for her church. She is passionate about equipping young people to enter conversations about contemporary issues, and ultimately speak of Jesus, and in her time here she was also the host of the advocacy team's podcast, Cross Section. Jo loves the beach, music, art and food, and is married to Tom.
What would the world look like if women were truly cherished?
2 January 2024I heard an interesting phrase recently – someone said, “the unborn baby now advocates for itself”. There is much you could argue with in that sentence, but what they meant by it was this: scientific advancements have come so far, and medical imaging is so good, that no one, not even abortion providers, can deny the fact that when you end a pregnancy you end a life. The question now on the table is largely about the right of the woman to decide if that life has value and to decide if she is in a…
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I’m a child of God
10 October 2022I’m fortunate enough to say that so far in my life I’ve never had a serious run in with poor mental health, but low level, bubbling anxiety has been a fairly familiar companion since I was a teenager, along with occasional visits from panic attacks and what I call “sad days”. After a few trickier spots after family bereavements and general post-pandemic stress, in the last year I have decided to tackle my mental health in a more active way. Nothing revolutionary – but I’m more careful about…
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Beauty in difference
28 April 2022In our world, our differences are often used as a means to create distance between us. But God intends His people to come together in “complete unity” (John 17:23), and I want to suggest that we flourish as humans when we are united with those who are different to us because it is then that we better reflect the three-in-one God whose image we bear. The evangelical landscape The term evangelical has been confused and marred over time, but at its heart evangelicalism means that we believe the…
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VAWG series: How can men be allies?
23 March 2022Violence against women is not a women’s issue; it’s a human issue, and that's why Evangelical Alliance member organisation, Restored, launched their First Man Standing campaign. If violence against women is to end we need men to help challenge the beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate it - in themselves, and in other men. Over 1500 men have signed up to the First Man Standing online community committed to standing up and speaking out about violence against women – be it in their…
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VAWG series: Christians have a role to play
8 March 2022And yet, the church is made up of sinners. Broken people living in a broken world. In 2018, member organisation Restored conducted research which revealed that one in four church goers had experienced abuse in their current relationship and 42.2 per cent experienced at least one abusive act in a current and/or previous relationship on at least one occasion. Perhaps even more shocking, but equally important to recognise, the office of national statistics found that 25 per cent of women in…
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Cost of living crisis: replacing anger with action
17 February 2022I must admit, as I have listened to politicians explain how it’s all going to be okay, and bank owners instruct employees not to ask for pay rises, I have felt angry. What do they know about feeling the squeeze? Will any of them have to choose between eating and heating as so many lower income families are? Where is the sense of the same £200 energy scheme loan being given to all households, regardless of income? But I have been challenged to recognise that this may not be the most godly, or…
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Remembering God’s grace while we wait for the verdict
19 January 2022Jesus calls Christians to pursue justice, yet refrain from judging others – but how do we navigate this when a case is of such public interest? Something has uniquely challenged the way I process my thoughts and emotions in relation to public cases of this nature. I am desperate to see perpetrators of violence against women and girls brought to justice and to see victims and survivors vindicated. But I also passionately believe that as Christians we must long to see justice carried out in…
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Scandal and sickness
15 December 2021At least, I hope I’m not the only one who is inclined to feel that way. Particularly as concerns around Covid once again begin to rise, along with anxieties about the effect it will have as we come closer to Christmas. I will steer clear of offering you political assessments and forecasts, but instead, as some doom and gloom threatens to infringe upon our festive season, I want to offer you three unshakable, unchanging reasons for joy. Jesus is not surprised by the darkness Over the last two…
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Urgent action needed: Nationality and Borders bill
1 December 2021Recent headlines share the harrowing stories of men, women and children drowning in the English Channel in search of a life free from persecution and exploitation. Jesus calls those who love Him to love our neighbours and care for the needs of others. We can do this not only through providing aid and support, but also through influencing legislation. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home - Matthew 25:35…
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IDOP 2021: Our opportunity to channel the power of united prayer
25 October 2021I often even struggle with what to pray. My heart breaks at the suffering that so many brothers and sisters face across the world for trusting Jesus, but channeling this into coherent prayer is difficult – not least because the gospel spreads quickest when under pressure, and I want as many souls as possible to be saved. Perhaps you can relate to much of what I’m saying? God hears our heart’s cry The wonderful news is that in the face of our weakness and powerlessness, and often muddled…
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Violence against women and girls: A cry for hope
11 October 2021I find myself, along with the women around me, feeling discouraged. What has changed? What concrete solutions to the problem have really been offered? There must be a better offer than suggesting that women wave down a bus or become 'streetwise' when concerned about her safety. There are questions to be raised around the role the media has played, the government and police response, but at the heart of it there is very real pain as thousands of people cry out against a terrible reality: the…
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